LITMIR.BIZ

      Little had she known that their chance meeting would end up landing her a job with the college weeks later. She’d definitely enjoyed the evening. They’d eaten dinner together and continued their conversation.

      Edgar had proved a puzzle to Dee, and she regretted her initial opinion of him. In one respect, he was no different than most of the businessmen she met—out to sell and charm. In her line of work, the majority of the men were more concerned with appearances than they were sincerity or honesty.

      With Edgar there was a difference, though. He could pour on the charm, but she still sensed his integrity. He believed in Magnolia College, heart and soul.

      In the weeks since, he had both surprised and disappointed her. At first, she thought she’d felt a personal interest from him, but there again, she’d been wrong. It appeared now that he was only interested in her professional expertise. In that regard, his determination had been overwhelmingly flattering. He had called her a month after their reunion, asking her if she would come to the college to discuss the skeleton incident and give her opinion on reversing the damage. Next thing she knew, he’d managed to get her hired on a temporary contract, not an easy feat with all the red tape of a college. And then his flirting had ended.

      She missed it.

      Dee closed the article on Edgar, understanding his love for Magnolia College a little better. It had given him the chance to succeed in America and the means to provide a better life for his family. Yet the more Dee learned about Edgar, the more she wanted to get to know everything about him. And despite him pushing her away, Dee was determined to figure out why.

      FOUR

      “What are you doing here this late?” a man whispered.

      Dee gasped, startled from her reverie. Who was talking? Where was he? She spun around, not seeing anyone; she realized just how alone she was in the library basement.

      “Over here.” A man’s eyes shone through the books on the other side of the shelf.

      She dropped the yearbooks and ran toward her table.

      The man stepped out of the next aisle and blocked her escape. “Dee, it’s just me, Edgar. Did I really frighten you?”

      Her hands were bunched into fists as she looked up. “Edgar,” she whispered. She nearly collapsed from the relief, steadying herself against the heavy oak chairs. “I didn’t hear anyone come into the room.” She felt her face warm. “I was just…” Her voice faded away.

      He wrapped an arm around her and she let out a huge sigh. “I’m sorry. I really did scare you, didn’t I? I thought you’d seen me. Forgive me, please.” He held her close. “Your heart’s beating like crazy. What’s happened?” he asked.

      Dee pushed herself away from him as she inhaled the scent of his spicy aftershave. “I’ve just been…” She couldn’t tell him she’d been reading, let alone daydreaming, about him. Her attention went to his strong shoulders—usually hidden beneath a suit jacket—now straining against the fabric of his polo shirt.

      “You were just, what?” He studied her intently. “Are you sure you are okay?”

      “Oh, yeah,” she said, freeing herself from his warm embrace. “I’m a little on edge tonight, I guess. I was just looking through old yearbooks.”

      “Need a few laughs, huh?”

      She pressed her lips together and nodded. Slowly, she added, “I wish it were just that. No, I was looking for someone who has been on our missing alumni list.”

      Edgar touched her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

      Dee shrugged. “Nothing, really. Did you get my message about the ideas Steff and I came up with?”

      Edgar looked puzzled. “Did you leave it at the office?”

      She didn’t want to appear needy or weak. “Yes, but we don’t need to discuss it tonight. We can go through it Monday,” she said stubbornly backing away.

      “Whatever it is, it’s upset you.” His dark eyes sought hers. “Dee, what happened?”

      Between thinking of him, the phone call, and the suspicion that someone had followed her into the library, she felt frazzled and confused. “I’ll be fine,” she stammered. “It’s nothing I need to bother you with. We’ll discuss the ideas Monday.”

      “Edgar,” a young woman called out. “I can’t find anything on the existence of…” The young woman’s voice sounded familiar. Then again, so did the caller from earlier. Dee turned, surprised to see his younger sister, Christiana. She felt like she really was losing it tonight.

      “Last-minute homework,” Edgar said with a shake of his head.

      Christiana saw Dee and smiled. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were talking with Miss Owens.”

      Relieved it wasn’t the woman in the dark sweatshirt, Dee answered, “Hello Christiana. What are you working on?”

      “Where Magnolia Falls got its name.”

      Dee forced a laugh when she really wanted to cry tears of relief. “If you find out, let me know. I’ve always wondered that, too.” They spent a few minutes surmising how the founders had come up with the ill-fitting name for a town with no falls. Dee felt the emptiness in her stomach. “I’d better call it a night. It was good to see both of you.”

      Edgar must have read her mind, for he grabbed her wrist as she rushed past. “Dee,” he said. He suddenly turned to Christiana. “Honey, go get your books. We’re going to run out of time to take you to Julia’s house if we don’t get going.”

      Dee tried to ignore the warmth of Edgar’s hand gently holding hers. Before she’d been hired, she’d briefly daydreamed of him holding her hand, sharing dreams, laughing together. But that had quickly come to an end. Edgar was all business. They hadn’t had a personal conversation since they’d begun working together.

      Christiana glanced at her watch. “We have an hour.”

      “Then why don’t we go to Burt’s for pizza. Dee, we’d love for you to join us, wouldn’t we, Christiana?”

      “Of course. I’d like to talk to you more about public relations. I saw you on the news the other night. You make it look so easy. Do you think the police know who the killer is?”

      “Later, Christiana,” Edgar reminded her, tapping his watch.

      Dee took a deep breath and waited for Christiana to get out of earshot. “I appreciate the invitation, but I should get home.”

      “What I want to say is that you shouldn’t be walking around campus at night by yourself. You’re putting yourself in great danger. Everyone wants to know what you know, Dee. And apparently, they think we at the college know everything that’s going on. You should be more careful.”

      She couldn’t hide her surprise. “Don’t pretend to be concerned for me, Edgar. You couldn’t even stand to stay through the press conference.”

      “What?” he exclaimed as he spotted Christiana. “I don’t want to talk about this in front of my sister, but we need to clear this up.”

      “That can be done on Monday,” she said. Right

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